Governor of Maine

Head of government of the U.S. state of Maine

Governor of Maine

Seal of the governor

Incumbent
Janet Mills

since January 2, 2019

Government of Maine
Style| The Honorable
Status| Head of state
Head of government
Residence| The Blaine House
Seat| Augusta, Maine
Appointer| Popular vote
Term length| 4 years, renewable once consecutively
Constituting instrument| Constitution of Maine
Precursor| Governor of Massachusetts (District of Maine)
Inaugural holder| William King
Formation| March 15, 1820
Succession| Line of succession
Salary| $70,000 (2022)[1]
Website| Official website

The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive.

The current governor of Maine is Janet Mills, a Democrat, who took office January 2, 2019.

The governor of Maine receives a salary of $70,000, which is the lowest salary out of all 50 state governors, as of 2022.[2] This will be raised to $125,000 upon a new governor taking office in 2026, per a bill passed in 2025, as the Maine Constitution prohibits changing the salary of the sitting governor.[3]

## Eligibility

[edit]

Under Article V, Section 4, a person must as of the commencement of the term in office, be 30 years old, for 15 years a citizen of the United States, and for five years a resident of Maine. A governor must retain residency in Maine while in office. Section 5 provides that a person shall not assume the office of Governor[4] while holding any other office under the United States, Maine, or "any other power".

## Elections and terms of office

[edit]

Further information: Elections in Maine

Governors are elected directly for four-year terms. They may be elected any number of times, but with a limit of two consecutive elected terms.(Article V, Section 2).[4] Elections are by popular vote, but if two people tie for first place, the Legislature meets in joint session to choose between them (Article V, Section 3).[4]

The Maine Constitution of 1820 originally established a gubernatorial term of one year,[5] to begin on the first Wednesday of January; constitutional amendments expanded this to two years in 1879[6] and to four years in 1957.[7] The 1957 amendment also prohibited governors from succeeding themselves after serving two terms.[7]

## Executive powers

[edit]

The governor is commander-in-chief of "the army and navy of the State, and of the militia" (the Maine National Guard), except when under federal control (Article V, Section 7).[4] The governor generally has the power to appoint civil, military, and judicial officers (aside from probate judges and justices of the peace), subject to confirmation by the Legislature, unless the Maine Constitution or a statute has provided another means of appointment (Article V, Section 8).[4] The governor also has the power to grant pardons, reprieves, and commutations, except in cases of impeachment. This clemency power also includes juvenile offenses (Article V, Section 11).[4]

## Cabinet

[edit]

The Governor oversees the executive branch, which includes Maine's state agencies. Their cabinet is often considered to be the state's commissioners, which are generally nominated by the governor but legally chosen by the Maine Legislature.

### Current Cabinet

[edit]

The Mills Cabinet as of January 2019[8] Office  | Name  | Since

|
|

Governor | Janet Mills | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Administrative & Financial Services | Kirsten Figueroa[9] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry | Amanda Beal[10] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Corrections | Randall Liberty[11] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management | Douglas Farnham[12] | 2016
Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development | Heather Johnson[13] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Education | Pender Makin[14] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection | Melanie Loyzim[15] | 2021
Commissioner of the Department of Health & Human Services | Jeanne Lambrew[16] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife | Judy Camuso[17] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources | Patrick C. Keliher[12] | 2012
Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety | Michael Sauschuck[11] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Transportation | Bruce Van Note[18] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Labor | Laura Fortman[19] | 2019
Commissioner of the Department of Professional & Financial Regulation | Anne Head[12][20] | 2008
Executive Director of Workers' Compensation Board  | John Rohde[21] | 2019

## Succession

[edit]

See also: Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States § Maine

Maine is one of five states that does not have an office of lieutenant governor.[22] Under current law, if there is a vacancy in the office of governor, the president of the Maine Senate becomes governor. As of December 4, 2024[update], the Senate president is Democrat Mattie Daughtry.

## Official residence

[edit]

The Blaine House in Augusta is the official governor's mansion, and is located across the street from the Maine State House. It became the official residence in 1919, and is named for James G. Blaine, who once owned the mansion. The house was built by Captain James Hall in 1833 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964.[23]

## List of governors

[edit]

For the period before statehood, see Governor of Massachusetts.

Main article: List of governors of Maine

## Timeline

[edit]

Timeline of Maine governors

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries". The Council of State Governments. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
2. ^ Davis, Dominic-Madori; Ward, Marguerite (April 20, 2020). "Here's the salary of every governor in all 50 US states". Business Insider. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
3. ^ "Maine lawmakers getting 61% pay raise". April 20, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
4. ^ a b c d e f Maine Constitution Article V, maine.gov.
5. ^ ME Const. art. V (Pt. I), § 2, orig.
6. ^ ME Const. Amend. 23.
7. ^ a b ME Const. Amend. 84.
8. ^ "Cabinet | Office of Governor Janet T. Mills". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
9. ^ Thistle, Scott; Herald, Press (2018-12-17). "Mills picks official from Attorney General's Office to be Maine's finance chief". Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
10. ^ @onlinesentinel (January 18, 2019). "Mills chooses head of farmland preservation group as agricultural commissioner: Amanda Beal grew up on a dairy farm in Litchfield and has served as president and CEO of Maine Farmland Trust since 2016. #mepolitics @JanetMillsforME bit.ly/2swObWM" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
11. ^ a b Miller, Kevin (2018-12-21). "To lead Department of Labor, Mills picks someone who's done it before". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
12. ^ a b c Overton, Penelope (2019-01-03). "Gov. Mills wants fisheries commissioner, 2 others to stay on in her administration". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
13. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-27). "Nominee for Mills Cabinet sees broadband access as key to Maine economy". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
14. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-26). "Mills nominates Brunswick school administrator to be Maine's education chief". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
15. ^ "Maine Senate Confirms Nomination of DEP Commissioner". Press Herald. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
16. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-14). "Mills names Mainer with White House experience to lead state's 'most important department'". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
17. ^ "Janet Mills nominates first woman to serve as commissioner of DIF&W". Bangor Daily News. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
18. ^ Thistle, Scott (2018-12-20). "Mills wants turnpike official to change lanes and lead transportation department". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
19. ^ Miller, Kevin (2018-12-21). "To lead Department of Labor, Mills picks someone who's done it before". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
20. ^ "Anne Head | Office of Governor Janet T. Mills". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
21. ^ AP (21 December 2018). "Maine Gov.-elect Taps Former Labor Chief To Head Department". www.mainepublic.org. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
22. ^ "Governor of Maine | Vacancies". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
23. ^ "Blaine House - Maine's Governor's Mansion".

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Statewide political officials of Maine

U.S. senators|

* Susan Collins
* Angus King

State government|

* Janet Mills, Governor
* Shenna Bellows, Secretary of State (elected by Legislature)
* Aaron Frey, Attorney General (elected by Legislature)
* Joe Perry, Treasurer (elected by Legislature)
* Matthew Dunlap, Auditor (elected by Legislature)

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